East Baltimore FAQ

• Why is Johns Hopkins launching the Blue Jay Shuttle—To & From Campus?

  • Blue Jay Shuttle is partnering with Lyft to support safe transportation options within an approximately 1½ mile radius of the East Baltimore campus, offering free rides for all member organizations including The Johns Hopkins Hospital, the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (SOM), Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. The shuttle service will consolidate and supplement all current safe-ride services including Lyft SafeRide and the After Hours route into one program. It will exclude any trips that are not home-to-campus or campus-to-home. Any Johns Hopkins employee visiting and staying on the East Baltimore campus will also be able to use the service.

• Will I be able to use the new transportation service for destinations other than my residence and the East Baltimore campus?

  • Yes, other campus locations including Carey Business School, Peabody campus and the Candler Building are also valid destinations.

  • However, Blue Jay Shuttle is not a social service.  It will exclude any trips that are not home-to-campus or campus-to-home.

  • Please use an alternative transportation method, such as fixed-route shuttles, the Charm City Circulator, MTA, or your own ride-hailing account (Lyft, Uber, etc.) to travel to restaurants, grocery stores or other errands.

• How do I use the Transloc app to book a ride on the Blue Jay Shuttle - To & From Campus?

  • First, visit TransLoc to download the app.

  • To see the Blue Jay service offering in the app, you must be sure that you have Johns Hopkins University (as opposed to Johns Hopkins Medical Institute) ‘visible’ as one of your agency preferences. To do this, go to ‘Settings’ at the bottom right of the app, select ‘Agency Preferences’, and either search or scroll to find Johns Hopkins University. Select ‘Visible’ and you should be presented with a view of this service option.

  • As a reminder, a requested ride must originate or terminate at a ‘hub’ or campus/work location (the pre-determined blue dots on the map, which correspond to campus/building addresses).

  • Make sure you have selected the correct ‘East Baltimore Blue Jay’ service option. There is both an AM and PM service.

  • Finally, you can visit: https://ts.jhu.edu/Shuttles/TransLoc/ for more information and tips.

• What is happening to Lyft SafeRide?

  • It remains available to those eligible between 12:00 a.m. - 5:00 a.m. starting on August 1.

• Why are the transportation options changing?

  • Providing a majority of rides in Blue Jay Shuttle vans with professional, trained drivers, GPS-tracking for passengers and supervisors to track the vans, and on-board cameras greatly improves the security and oversight to ensure all passengers have a safe, comfortable ride. 

  • The Blue Jay Shuttle is an equitable transportation option for all Hopkins affiliates. It will expand access to service to a much larger population of riders while continuing to serve those previously enrolled in SafeRide.

  • The current Lyft SafeRide program is only for students and trainees, not employees.

  • Since the After-Hours Shuttle operates during similar hours in a smaller area, the Blue Jay Shuttle will replace this service.

• How is Blue Jay Shuttle safer?
  • Drivers are trained to be an extra set of eyes, both on the road, and for passengers who are pedestrians to and from the shuttle.
  • Dispatchers and a supervisor know where all vehicles and passengers are at all times.
  • Passengers have easy access to current and past rides.
  • Vehicles are well maintained.
  • Blue Jay Shuttles are easy to recognize and provide passengers plenty of space.
  • On-board cameras provide peace of mind.

• If I need transportation to other destinations in the area, what are my options?

  • JHU-operated shuttles include the Homewood-Peabody-JHMI Shuttle, Blue Jay Shuttle and other Weekday fixed-route services.

  • For shuttles and buses that originate from Johns Hopkins Medicine locations aside from the above referenced Homewood-Peabody-JHMI route, please visit hopkinsmedicine.org/security_parking_transportation/transportation.

• With the after-hours route being discontinued, what are my options?

  • The Blue Jay Shuttle To & From Campus will provide service to an even larger area.

• If I have questions or concerns, who can I contact?

  • Emailing shuttles@jhu.edu is the best way to ask questions or submit concerns. 

  • During operating hours, call 410-516-8700 to speak with a dispatcher, or to request to speak with a manager.

• I've been using the service and noticed the estimated pickup ETA is high when I book sometimes- why don't you just send me a Lyft?

  • The estimate that the system generates, is just that- an estimate. There are many variables that contribute to its calculation and it almost always changes prior to a vehicle assignment for your trip. Trained dispatchers are reviewing pending trip assignments and will dispatch a Lyft when it becomes necessary in order to meet our service guidelines.  This generally occurs within ten minutes without a van assigned.

  • Our stated service goals are:

    • From request, be picked up in ten minutes on average, with a goal of 15 minutes maximum.
    • From pick up, be transported in twelve minutes on average, with a goal of 25 minutes maximum.
    • During rush hours, 8:00-9:00am and 5:30-6:30pm, expect both wait and ride times to be near or occasionally over the maximum.

• The pickup times I get are inconsistent- some days they are low and some days they are high.

  • Sometimes overall system demand is low, and sometime high. Dispatchers actively monitor operations to ensure that trips are being assigned and riders are being picked up in a timely fashion. Additionally, the service area is geographically large and diverse and depending upon the address of your residence, you may see wait or ride times that are within the higher end of the target service times if you are towards the edges of the service boundaries.

• Is my address in the service area?

  • To determine if your address is in the service area, you can download the Transloc app and review the interactive service area map. If your address is not in the service area, the app won’t allow you to book a ride. If you believe this is in error, please reach out to us at shuttles@jhu.edu and we can review the situation.

• Is it possible to expand the service area just a little more? Or add additional hours of service?

  • We are excited to service the current area boundaries, committed to delivering riders to their destinations within our service guidelines. Currently, there are no plans to expand the hours of service or the area boundaries. We welcome ongoing engagement, however, as we deliver more passengers, collect more information, and continuously review the operation.